Environment

Superfund

We assist our clients in navigating their way through proceedings under the federal Superfund law to achieve the most cost-effective result. We are even called upon to provide our services to entire groups of potentially responsible parties as common or lead counsel.

Greenberg Glusker attorneys have defended our clients against U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allegations of liability, responded to administrative orders and negotiated consent decrees. We have worked with, and against, other parties to allocate fairly the financial responsibility for cleanup costs. Our attorneys effectively use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures to reach fair and equitable results for our clients.

Representative Experience

Represented an aerospace manufacturer at a major Southern California Superfund site in proceedings, allocating liability among dozens of other potentially responsible parties. Through arbitration, we appealed the initial allocation and won a 95% reduction in our client's liability. We later helped negotiate a favorable consent decree with U.S. EPA.

Representing a group of over 20 companies whom U.S. EPA has alleged are responsible parties at a major Superfund site in California. The group is defending against EPA's claims on the ground that the waste attributed to them was contaminated with petroleum only - a substance that is not within the scope of the federal Superfund law.